Syracuse, NY -- A judge in Onondaga County Court has dismissed murder charges against two defendants accused in the shooting death of 19-year-old Jamal Holmes.

Holmes and another victim, 18-year-old Eric Hooks Jr., were shot with a 12-gauge shotgun at close range in the 400 block of Landon Avenue on Feb. 4. Holmes died from a blast to the torso which struck his left lung, spleen and heart, according to court papers

Hooks was hospitalized in critical condition and received emergency surgery, which saved his life, according to court papers.

Of the four men who were arrested and charged in connection to the crime, three have been cleared. The first suspect, Daquan Dowdell, 21, was misidentified by Hooks, according to prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle. The murder charges were dropped when a grand jury found no evidence to support them.

After Dowdell was cleared, Edwin Martinez, 18, and Adon Boatwright, 19, were arrested and charged with attempted murder and second-degree murder.

Martinez and Boatwright were accused of riding in a car to the shooting with Charles Williams, the alleged gunman in the case.

The charges against Martinez and Boatwright were dismissed this week by Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti, said defense lawyer Donald Kelly.

Kelly said the judge sealed his decision. He can't comment on the reasoning behind the dismissal until Williams' case is resolved, Kelly said. McGunnigle said that she was limited in what she could say due to the pending nature of Williams' case.

However, she said today's dismissal was not related to the false identification of Dowdell. She said Martinez and Boatwright were not accused, at any point, of being in possession of weapons or of shooting Holmes or Hooks.

Williams is charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. His lawyer, Richard Marris, said in late June that he planned to pursue further identification issues as the case progresses. McGunnigle said previously in court that multiple witnesses have identified Williams at the triggerman.